(03-24-2014 07:41 PM)IR4CU Wrote:  In one of his posts, JR mentions the possibility of the networks dividing up the Big 12 and ACC with UNC/Va Tech going to the SEC, Duke/UVA going to the BIG, ISU/KSU/TT/OSU to the PAC and the Big 12 & ACC reforming as follows:

Pitt, Syracuse, Boston College, Notre Dame
Clemson, Florida State, Georgia Tech, Miami
Baylor, Oklahoma, Kansas, Texas
Louisville, West Virginia, N.C. State, Wake Forest.

I think this is close to a dream scenario for the SEC and BIG (although the BIG would prefer UNC) and I agree that I can see the networks being very happy with this. However, I do not think this would work out well for the schools in the new makeshift conference in general and Clemson in particular.

From a conference perspective, although the pods help to some degree, this conference is clearly a makeshift conference with no geographic cohesion and not much in the way of cultural cohesion. There are certainly some good existing rivalries (UT/OU, FSU/CU, ND/SU) and some good potential new rivalries but as a whole this conference just has too many non-similar schools. Travel distances would not be favorable as the conference would stretch from Miami to Boston and the Atlantic Ocean to Kansas/Texas. The geographic center of this conference is somewhere near Jamestown, TN (northeast corner of TN). Clemson and ND would be the two schools closest to the conference center and for Clemson, the average distance from Clemson to all of the schools would be 530 miles straight line or 645 miles driving distance.

The biggest problem I see from Clemson’s perspective would be recruiting. Being able to regularly play UT, OU, ND, and WVU would certainly help from a recruiting standpoint but I think this would be far outweighed by now having to compete for NC and VA players with instate SEC schools (UNC and Va Tech). Granted, VA is not a big recruiting ground for Clemson but we do pull some decent talent out of that state from time to time. North Carolina on the other hand is one of Clemson’s prime recruiting grounds. Clemson already has to compete against the SEC in it’s other primary recruiting areas of SC, GA, and FL. It is nice and advantageous not to have to recruit against an in state SEC school in NC and VA. While Clemson does a decent job of recruiting against SEC schools in GA, FL, & SC we have lost several prime targets to SEC schools in the past several years simply because the kid wants to play in the SEC (and I certainly understand their motivation). It becomes harder and harder to recruit against the SEC every year and having UNC and Va Tech in the SEC would only make this worse for Clemson. From a recruiting standpoint, I fear any conference scenario that has an SEC school in the states of NC and VA without Clemson also being in the SEC. By the way, I believe that if Clemson ever became part of the SEC, they would become a recruiting monster.

The best hope for Clemson to the SEC would be a Big 10 and SEC partition of the ACC with each taking 6 schools. Then the Big 12 losing the requisite 8 to the PAC would move us to a 3 x 20 model. It's just that such a scenario would require the Big 10 warming up big time to ESPN and signing a long duration T1 deal, and the PACN selling interest to ESPN or both ESPN and FOX. It really is the only way to wind up with balance between conferences. The problem with the 4 conference model is there is always a slightly weaker conference. If the Big 12 is parsed then there is a significantly weaker conference (ACC or PAC) at the end depending upon where Texas and Oklahoma are placed. If the ACC is partitioned in a four conference scenario the best alignment for balance is unfortunately the one that you cited. I just wish you guys had said yes back in 1991 because you definitely fit the SEC to a T. Plus I could see taking a week off to stay at Myrtle Beach either prior or after an away game at Clemson.